


in the stillness of remembering

by Snowsheba



Series: tumblr promptfest 100 [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Sword Art Online
Genre: F/M, I have never read Sword Art Online so don't expect a ton of SAO lore, Not Focused On Romance, SAO is just not my kind of manga/anime thanks, but there are copious SAO references, it's time to scrub my eyeballs, never thought I'd ever touch this fandom but here I am, prompt, thanks SAO wiki, written for a tumblr giveaway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2016-06-28
Packaged: 2018-07-18 17:29:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7324228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snowsheba/pseuds/Snowsheba
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was the journey that mattered, not so much the conclusion.</p><p>Kirito had no idea how true that was.</p>
            </blockquote>





	in the stillness of remembering

**Author's Note:**

> _prompt_ : "An AU of Sword Art Online where Asuna and Kirito are Pokemon trainers, can't wait to see what you come up with"
> 
> this has minimal editing and ended up being more introspective than I was expecting. enjoy!

Kirito captures his Eevee when he’s eight. It’s definitely not legal, but no one cares in the small, sleepy town of Aspertia, and besides, he’d been under the supervision of Floccesy Ranch’s owners. He had run all the way back to his house and when he burst through the house, his aunt had merely shaken her head with a smile while his uncle had asked if he had nicknamed it.

“Luci,” he had told them.

They let him keep her.

* * *

Luci evolves into an Umbreon when he turns fifteen proceeding a rousing Pokemon battle with his neighbor Klein after the sun had set. It’s a wondrous moment, and it’s when Luci nudges his outstretched hand with her nose that Kirito seriously begins to consider taking on the League challenge.

Not two days later he’s on the road, bag over his shoulder, Luci trotting at his side with a gleam in her ruby eyes. He’ll get some training in before challenging Cheren for the Basic Badge, or at least that’s the plan, and so it’s back to Floccesy Ranch so catch some more friends to help him out.

The plan ends up with Luci obliterating Cheren’s Pokemon all by herself. It’s all good; Kirito hadn’t caught any others anyway, and he gives his aunt and uncle one last hug before turning away for horizons unknown.

* * *

He’s on the ferry to Castelia after defeating Roxie when he catches the tail end of the new Champion’s coronation. A younger girl with pigtails - Iris, he remembers - is jumping up and down excitedly as the new Champion flushes and waves to the crowd presumably gathered off-screen. She’s not particularly striking. In fact, Kirito only remembers two things about her: she’s the same age as him, and her name is Asuna.

He’ll battle her one day. Luci must know it, too, because she lets out a little chirp and leans against his leg, eyes intent on the TV. He smiles and pets her head.

“We’ll win,” he says, and Luci nods in agreement.

* * *

He gets lost in Castelia in mere moments. There are no shortage of people around to ask directions, though Kirito quickly learns to ask younger individuals, the ones who aren’t in a rush to get places and will shove him aside to get to said places. By the time he finds his way to the next route leading to Nimbasa, it’s late, so he returns to the Pokemon Center and spends the night there, Luci dozing at the lower half of his rented bed.

Asuna is on a one of those giant electronic boards when he’s walking out of Castelia early the next morning. He spends a few moments looking at her, recalling the small smile and charming wave to the crowd before moving on.

* * *

Nimbasa is just as chaotic as Castelia, just in a different way - a way that’s more along the lines of bright lights, loud sounds, a city that never sleeps. He arrives around ten P.M. and someone’s running at him to hand him a flier for the nearby amusement park. It’s weird because it’s late at night and he’s pretty sure he isn’t in the targeted age group for the amusement park, though he’s intrigued. So is Luci, and he resolves to stay for a few days to check things out.

As it stands, however, a closer look at the flier reveals that he has arrived the day Champion Asuna is paying Leader Elesa a visit. Which means if he gets there early enough, there’s a chance he’ll be able to see her. Maybe even talk to her.

Luci lets out a knowing chirp as Kirito’s brow furrows.

* * *

The next day, he enters the amusement park with Luci at his side to see a small crowd has already gathered. He stands apart from them; he’s not here to gawk, more to observe, which is done best at a distance. Luci sits primly at his feet, tail softly swishing side to side, as he leans back against a light pole and watches.

“Aww, what an adorable Umbreon! You’ve trained it well.”

“Her,” Kirito corrects automatically, and he turns -

\- and there she is.

* * *

“Champion Asuna,” he says, inclining his head and standing up straight.

“That’s me,” Asuna says with a giggle, and he blinks at her as she crouches down. Luci sniffs her fingers cautiously before allowing the girl to pet her head. “And you are?”

“Kirito.”

“Kirito.” She sounds like she’s testing his name on her tongue. “Well, Kirito, if your Umbreon’s condition is anything to go by, I’ll be seeing you in the future.” She straightens up and now that bright smile is angled at him. “Let’s meet again later!”

“Uh-huh,” he manages back before she’s off, the crowd ahead of him parting before her with cheers and cries of her name.

* * *

She and Elesa battle it out at some point and Kirito watches with narrowed eyes, a mental list slowly ticking down in his mind. She commands her Pokemon confidently, but also loudly; it’s easy to counter her immediate moves. What’s most interesting is how all of those immediate commands eventually form into some unpredictable trap of some kind - Champion Asuna’s copious use of reflect and light screen result in an fascinating deflection of a Charge Beam, hitting Elesa’s Emolga and causing it to faint, for instance.

It’s one thing to battle other trainers and Gym Leaders, Kirito muses, and quite another to battle the Champion. There’s always a reason they are Champion, of course, but it hadn’t quite occurred to him until now. He knows he’ll have to examine her fighting style much more closely in order to defeat her. 

Luci lets out a thoughtful hum as they depart the amusement park. Kirito echoes her.

* * *

Join Avenue is run by a teenager, as Kirito finds out. Her name is Rosa, and Kirito finds her chattering with one of the shopkeepers before she turns and sees him, and then her face lights up as she practically sprints over to greet him.

She’s done a good job, Kirito has to admit that - all of the shops are classy in their own way and some carry rather exotic and valuable goods. Rosa herself is a bubbling pool of enthusiasm, and Kirito is vaguely reminded of the movie star Nate back at the PokeStar Studios; a quick question reveals the two are indeed related, and Rosa, delighted that he’d met her cousin, offers him a discount for all businesses in the place.

It’s a good deal and a lot of fun at the end of the day. He even gets his hands on a Shiny Stone, and he leaves with a bounce in his step and with Luci excitedly jumping around his feet.

* * *

He defeats Elesa and goes on his way - not before squirming uncomfortably in the spotlights of the gym on his way out, of course. He’s no model, no matter how much Elesa coos how adorable he would look in her new all-black line of clothing. Not even if she gifts him some clothes anyway, and definitely not if he wears it around the region and gets paid for it.

(Luci gets an adorable hat out of it. He’s weak when it comes to making Luci happy, okay, and boy howdy does that hat makes her happy, so all-black clothes it is.)

Clay is next, just across the Charizard bridge, and Kirito spends the languid walk over watching videos of Clay’s battles on his Xtransceiver. 

* * *

Clay turns out to be an easy win, all things considered. Kirito had delegated a couple of hours to the venture but ended up finishing in less than thirty minutes, so he and Luci meander over to the Pokemon World Tournament. He arrives at the tail end and sees the winner exit the arena with a grin on her face and a Cinccino on her shoulder, and, vaguely curious, he settles in to watch the next match.

He’s almost surprised when Asuna shows up in the first matchup. Almost, but not quite, and he takes out a notepad and begins to write down his examinations of her battle style as he observes her fight. Conveniently, she wins her next match, and Luci naps at his feet as he continues to take notes.

Note-taking turns into sketching. It’s not until Asuna’s been declared the victor that he realizes he’d drawn her Delcatty, and he closes his notepad and stashes it away before anyone can see.

* * *

“Kirito! Are you entering in the next challenge?”

“Champion Asuna,” he says in way of greeting. Luci chirps at his feet. “I wasn’t planning on it, no.”

She pouts at him and he raises an eyebrow, amused, as she says, “There are a lot of cool prizes for the winners, you know. And I’d love to see you and your Umbreon in action.”

“You want to watch me battle?” he asks, a little intrigued, a little flattered, mostly curious. “I figured that you would have more important duties as Champion.”

“They say you’ve never lost a battle,” Asuna says, and how the hell did she hear about that? “Let’s just say you’ve piqued my interest.”

He looks askew at her, and she cheers when he trudges over to the receptionist and puts his name down.

* * *

She’s in the first row when it’s his turn to fight. He doesn’t look down at her after the first glance at the beginning of the match, and then it’s complete focus on the battle in front of him, directing his Pokemon with a series of clicks, hand gestures, and whistles. Luci, of course, is the first Pokemon out, and she doesn’t once let him down in the first fight, or the next, or the next.

He hasn’t even bothered to send out his next Pokemon when he faces his final opponent, the girl from before with the Cincinno: Luci takes care of it handily, and Asuna is right, the things he has access to due to his winnings are nothing to scoff at. In fact, he’s still deciding at the shop counter when she finds him again.

“Your Umbreon is something else,” Asuna tells him. “That attract-screech-bite combo was incredible.”

“Thank you,” he says. Luci chirps. “Luci says thank you as well.”

“Cute name,” Asuna says. “Matches the trainer.”

He only has a few seconds to process this before she’s waving and gone, and by the time he does, Luci is chittering at him. Laughing. 

He can’t help the flush in his cheeks.

* * *

He ends up sticking around the Pokemon World Tournament for a while. After that, it’s a long few days trekking through Chargestone Cavern, and while he knows he’s stalling, he doesn’t really mind wasting the days all too much. Luci ends up adoring the shows they have in Nimbasa and the amount of props he gathers is bordering on ridiculous, but she’s happy.

His Pokemon are all pretty happy, actually. He has picnics with them every now and then and it turns out it is entirely possible to wrestle with a Manectric, though it can be a bit dangerous when it gets excited. He feels good, and it’s been a while since he’s felt this carefree.

He does his best not to remember that Champion Asuna is the reason he’s relaxing a bit.

* * *

Chargestone ends up being as obnoxious as he thought it would be, but he does get some good training in and Luci, who lost her hat in a particularly difficult battle, manages to recover it after a kindly ace trainer finds it on the ground. Kirito gets compliments on his clothes and gets to explain how they’re from Elesa’s newest line, and he’s feeling pretty good as he goes to Mistralton’s gym.

And then.

He’s fighting Skyla when it happens: Swanna dives low and lands a solid Brave Bird on Luci. Luci drops. He calls her name. There’s no reaction. He calls again. She doesn’t get up. It’s rare when this happens, but she has fainted before and so he moves to send out his next Pokemon.

The Pokeball doesn’t recall her.

* * *

He wins in a rush. Skyla races alongside him to the Pokemon Center and it’s an anxious seven, eight, nine hours spent in tense silence, arms wrapped around himself, his other Pokemon jittering next to him.

It’s not Skyla’s fault. It’s not her fault. It’s not. The Gym Leader’s expression is veiled when she visits later; it’s not the first time this has happened, he can tell, and she silently gives him his badge and a single white flower.

* * *

Asuna is there when he enters Celestial Tower. He registers her presence in the back of his mind, the rest of him sluggishly wondering why his Pokemon was so light and small. Her cheerful expression drops when she sees the little body he’s carrying in his arms, and she tags along with him in silence as he places Luci to rest in a grave. Skyla’s white flower goes on top, and soon he stands and picks his way up the tower.

The wind is blowing harshly when he pulls the string and rings the bell. Closes his eyes. Squelches the shakiness in his chest with an iron fist, dries unshed tears with unmovable will, lets his fingers curl up and dig into his palm before forcibly relaxing them.

But then Asuna places a hand on his shoulder, murmuring his name, and he - he just  _breaks_. It’s not the subtle crying, either; this is ugly sobbing, hands pressed against his eyelids, throat rasping and dry, shoulders shaking violently as he drops to his knees and struggles not to scream.

* * *

Asuna makes sure he’s checked into the Pokemon Center before leaving Mistralton City.

It’s stupid how he latches on to her image as a lifeline when he wakes up the next morning. He hates how attached he’s become to a single person in the span of two hours - but he supposes that’s what happens when you cry in front of someone. Asuna had seen an intimate side of him and he couldn’t erase that no matter how much he wanted to - but honestly, he’s glad it was her and not some random stranger.

He feels driftless. What is he supposed to do without Luci? Arceus, how will he tell his family and friends back home?

He jumps about a foot in the air when his Xtransceiver goes off and he checks the ID, expecting his aunt or uncle. It’s… he doesn’t recognize the number, and he furrows his brow as he answers.

“Kirito?”

It’s… Asuna.

* * *

He ends up calling Asuna a lot over the weeks as he continues his journey towards Victory Road. He doesn’t recognize where she is most of the time, though he guesses she’s hanging around the Champion’s Arena, and most of the time she talks and he listens. He appreciates it more than she can know; any and all distractions are welcome.

“How’s your team taking, um, it?” she asks, as he’s just entering Opelucid City.

“Haven’t replaced her,” Kirito says tersely, looking away from the camera briefly to navigate his way to the Pokemon Center. “Been interesting adjusting to battles without her. She could take the most hits.”

Asuna is silent for a few moments. “You’re in Opelucid, right?”

* * *

“This is Pulse,” she says, showing him a Pokeball. They’re having lunch and it’s a miracle no one’s recognized her by now; in all other circumstances, she’s been stopped for autographs and questions, including at Celestial Tower. “He belonged to my friend Lisbeth, once upon a time.”

“And he is?” Kirito asks, drumming his fingers on the table.

“A Bisharp.”

Kirito stared at the Pokeball. He’d seen Pawniard around near the shopping mall, fought quite a few of them with his Pokemon, but never a Bisharp. They were fast and hit hard, that much he knows.

It feels wrong to let this Pokemon take Luci’s place. No one could just take her place. It’s been nearly a month since the Umbreon had gone, and it feels too soon, but at the same time - he can’t coast on a five-member team forever. He owes it to Luci to get to the League, if nothing else.

“I can’t just take him from you,” Kirito says at last. “Especially if a friend traded him to you.”

Asuna’s expression is equal parts hopeful and somber as she says, “Who said I was  _giving_  him to you?”

* * *

Kirito goes out and catches an Alomomola. It takes him almost a week of asking around, watching for bubbles in the seawater, and fishing, but he does it, and when he returns, he takes a thirty minute shower and still smells like salt when he meets Asuna in the Pokemon Center lobby.

“What did you nickname it?” Asuna asks.

“Fleuret,” Kirito answers. Asuna considers this for a few moments before nodding in satisfaction, and then they go upstairs and just like that, the trade is done.

* * *

Pulse, the very first time he’s let out of his Pokeball, regards him with a steady and fervent gaze. He is understandably standoffish - Kirito doesn’t know what happened to Lisbeth, but it can’t be good if Asuna didn’t talk about it - and hasn’t seen battle for at least a year, apparently. 

Thusly, Kirito takes his squad out for a team-bonding picnic. It’s a bit reserved with a new face - and Kirito ignores how he can’t stop thinking of Luci running around the spread - but his Pokemon eventually do settle in and begin chittering at each other. Pulse remains off to the side, legs folded neatly underneath him, handling the berries with intriguing delicateness in his bladed hands.

Kirito spends a long time just watching Pulse and how he interacts with the world around him. If Pulse notices, he doesn’t acknowledge it; Kirito can only hope he’ll respond well in battle.

* * *

Pulse takes down Drayden’s entire team by himself. 

Kirito has never seen a Pokemon move so fast and, by the stricken look on Drayden’s face, neither has he. Kirito has to call Pulse back from delivering a finishing blow to Drayden’s Haxorus, in fact, and it’s then that he knows why Asuna had never used the Bisharp in battle: the thing is absolutely ruthless.

“I can feel your passion through your Pokemon,” Drayden tells him as he hands Kirito a Legend Badge, eyeing the Bisharp. Pulse regards him calmly. “I get the sense, however, that it is not one of yours.”

“Trade,” Kirito explains. “Got him a couple of days ago.”

“Be careful,” Drayden says. “Sometimes, a battle requires spontaneity and unchecked aggression, but it can easily become something much worse.” Drayden looks at him for a few moments. “It is clear you know this pain, so I am assured that you will keep your Pokemon in line. Good luck, young man.”

* * *

He is careful not to rely on Pulse too much. The Bisharp is all sharp edges and harsh cruelty where Luci had been gentle curves and soft kindness; he can only wonder what kind of person he would have become if Pulse had been his first Pokemon instead of his beloved Umbreon.

As it stands, however, Pulse is the fallback plan whenever things go to shit. Victory Road causes this to happen, naturally, wherein a veteran whittles away at his team with her Archeops - and when Pulse takes to the field, the last one standing, he strikes the flying-type down faster than either trainer can blink.

Pulse doesn’t kill the Archeops, luckily. But it’s a close thing.

* * *

Kirito takes to letting Pulse out of his Pokeball after the unfortunate battle with the veteran - and it’s strange, to have this Pokemon reach his shoulder and walk with clinical precision, steps silent and eyes ever-watchful. Luci would always rub against him and make chirping sounds or run off to investigate something; Pulse is hyper-vigilant, deathly quiet, unwavering and unerring when he strikes out at Pokemon who jump out at them.

When he finally makes it up Victory Road and walks into the Pokemon Center, he doesn’t realize how intimidating this must look until the nurse watches him carefully as he comes closer; a teenager in all black with a Bisharp matching him step for step, both of their expressions unreadable? Certainly a bit suspicious. 

A smile makes it worse, though the nurse heals his Pokemon without any signs of discomfort beyond harried motions.

* * *

“Well,” Asuna says, hands on her hips. They’re in front of the entrance to the Elite Four. “You made it, huh?”

He gives her a long, even look. Pulse stands behind him, head down, eyes focused on her, though Asuna doesn’t seem bothered in the slightest.

“Asuna,” Kirito says, “I like you.”

It’s not an appropriate moment. It’s certainly not what he was expecting to say. But once it’s out of his throat, he realizes just how simple and true it is: he likes her. He loves her. He would walk through hell with her, because she walked him through his own personal hell. 

“I see,” Asuna says with an impish smile. “You’ll get a response if you can get to me.”

He grins back; that’s motivation, if nothing else. His heart thumps steadily in his chest, and though he still aches for Luci’s company, he thinks - he thinks he’ll be okay.

* * *

Shauntel and Caitlin make him miss Luci dearly. Pulse is more than an adequate substitute when it comes to sheer power and brute strength, but Luci - Luci knew him better than anyone, could predict his orders, sometimes acted on her own volition, and she was deviously clever. Pulse goes in fast and hard; Luci bided her time and struck when it was convenient. 

Kirito is almost relieved when he manages to defeat Marshal without relying on Pulse once, because becoming dependent on one Pokemon is dangerous and Pulse in particular is not a good one to bond too deeply with. Grimsley is a bit more difficult, but they make do and soon, Kirito is standing in the Champion’s Arena.

It’s quiet. He knows he’s on live TV, and he can see Asuna waving cheerfully at him from the other side.

“I’m afraid this is as far as you’ll get,” she says. “Go, Fleuret!”

* * *

Asuna absolutely, completely, and utterly wipes the floor with him.

Somehow, he’s not surprised, though he thinks Pulse is when the Bisharp falls to her Delcatty.

* * *

When they shake hands, Kirito mournfully forking over cash for her victory, Asuna tugs him closer and kisses his cheek. Cameras flash as she pulls away, smiling gently, and she says, “Luci would have been so proud, you know.”

“Maybe,” Kirito says, lifting a hand to touch his face because - actually, why is he doing that, and he forces his hand back to his side.

“Definitely,” Asuna says in a way that books no argument, and then she looks at the Pokeball still in his hand and says, “I see you’re doing pretty well with Pulse.”

“He’s hard to control in some ways. Loyal, obedient, but difficult. Good heart.”

“That’s what Lisbeth said.”

They’re both silent for a few moments.

* * *

“Lunch?” Kirito asks after an eternity.

“Dinner now,” Asuna says, and Kirito notices how low the sun is hanging in the sky. “I’ll pay.”

**Author's Note:**

> Have I read Sword Art Online? No. Have I played Pokemon? Yep. This is an example of when copious knowledge of one fandom (Pokemon) makes up for the lack of knowledge in another fandom (SAO).
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](http://snowsheba.tumblr.com)!
> 
> Trivia:
> 
> \- I skipped over the five stages of grief through a time skip because that would be even more writing and I could not deal with that at the moment.  
> \- Kirito basically goes through the region as one does in Pokemon White 2/Black 2, but without the Team Plasma business. That’s already been taken care of at this point in time.  
> \- Luci is short for Elucidator, which is the name of Kirito’s first sword. At least I think it? I really don’t know, since the boy apparently dual-wields.  
> \- Rosa is the female protagonist in White 2/Black 2. Nate is the male protagonist in White 2/Black 2.  
> \- Pulse is short for Dark Repulser, which is the name of Kirito’s… second sword? Not sure, but he owned a sword called Dark Repulser, which was forged by Lisbeth.  
> \- Coincidentally, this is why Pulse’s original trainer was named Lisbeth. Who’s Lisbeth? No clue. A blacksmith, that much I gathered.  
> \- Asuna’s first sword was a fleuret of some kind; thus, the Alomomola named Fleuret.  
> \- Luci was not supposed to die, but then I realized ‘how can I make asuna and kirito bond’ and I was like ‘oh, I know! T R A G E D Y’  
> \- Pulse is 2edgy4u  
> \- Asuna is not a complicated character, as far as my research tells me, which is a little disappointing. In SAO, she is written as that female character who is strong but still needs to be saved several (read: way too many) times throughout the series... so, basically, the writers’ weak attempt to make a complicated female lead who would still fall into the damsel-in-distress trope. I knew SAO was sexist, but… you know, I don’t know what I expecting, actually. Never mind.
> 
> BONUS (research I did, some of which never made into the final draft):
> 
> It’s Marlon. Definitely not Brycen (ice guy) or Skyla (flying gal).
> 
> and my personal favorite:


End file.
